Random Rambler: Silver Lake

Silver Lake is an absolutely stunning lake located in Brighton. The super easy trail features a a beautiful lake, wildflowers, and very good chances of seeing wildlife. It is also really easy to get to without any effort, so it can tend to be a little on the busier side. However, now it is a fee area so I think that is thinning the crowd a little bit.

I had planned to do Twin Lakes today but we were surprised to learn it was closed to hiking… so we continued around Silver Lake again instead. So, not what we planned to do, but still lovely. We do this trail fairly often, including just last month.

Also, Please join me in celebrating my 1000th post!

Quick Details:

Length: It is about 8/10ths of a mile loop.
Trail Type: Loop.
Difficulty: DR2. It is mostly boardwalk, but even the parts that are not are pretty flat and like paved.
Elevation Gain: About 50 feet.
Restroom: Yes, flush toilets at the trailhead.
Dogs? No. Big Cottonwood Canyon is watershed.
Other Info: This is now a fee area. $10.00 for a day pass. Can be paid through your phone, in the Visitor Center, or the Brighton Store across the street (both physical locations also sell the yearly pass, which cannot be purchased online).

To Get Here:

Drive to the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Just after the road splits into a one way loop, the Solitude Nordic Center will be on the right. Overflow parking to the left.

Heading up Big Cottonwood Canyon (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP)).

Pretty canyon (PSP).

Continuing up (PSP).

Entering the town of Brighton (PSP). It extends all the way down below Mill D.

Passing a few camping areas (PSP).

I just love it up here (PSP).

Nearing the top (PSP).

Mount Millicent as we near the top (PSP).

Scott Hill across the canyon.

We popped into the Brighton store cause they was a set of Mini Blocks I saw last time and didn’t get and I decided That I really needed a little black bear set. I got a moose last time. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with the Mini Blocks. Some sets I think are super fun, and some sets put me on the verge of going Hulk smash. I enjoyed the black bear quite a bit. I also liked the moose.

The Trail:

Onto the trail. Which is just to the right of the Visitor Center.

Wetlands and boardwalk.

The new trailhead kiosk.

The entire boardwalk was just rebuilt in the last few years, so it is in excellent shape right now.

They shifted it ever so slightly to the right in this section. The old pathway is filling in quite nicely.

Maybe not as nicely as it first appeared, but still coming along.

Beaver dam.

Little duck hanging out in a flooded section of the old trail.

There’s mama and a sibling.

Continuing along.

The new fancy bridge/dock over the outlet which is Big Cottonwood Creek.

Some nice benches to rest on.

Ducks!

I knew ducks could dive, but I don’t think I have ever really seen it before. Holy crap they can go down pretty far!

Back up to the surface!

The bridge/dock thingy again. We don’t often catch it without any people on it.

Downstream, with a beaver lodge.

Clear water. I forget what these plants in the water are called.

Upstream towards the lake.

We can see some of the old bridge supports under the water. Crazy.

Continuing across the outlet.

The lake and the outlet.

Looking back at the bridge/dock again.

Hitting a dirt trail area.

This dock is new with the boardwalk rebuild. I have said it before, but we gained this one, and lost one on the other side of the lake.

The ranger was saying it was almost perfect weather for moose so she was surprised none of them had come out.

View from the dock. Mount Millicent and an unnamed crag (at least as far as I have seen). Twin Lakes Reservoir sits in the saddle between them.

Panoramic.

Continuing along.

Fireweed.

The lake and Mount Millicent again.

Lovely forest.

Another fireweed.

Pot gut squirrel.

WHAT?!??! NOOOO! I really wanted to to hike up to Twin Lakes today.

I preach about always reading the signs at the trailhead kiosk no matter how familiar you are with the trail network for exactly this reason. I am way too comfortable with this trail network and did not pay attention to the signs that did clearly warn me it was closed Oi.

I just learned they is a term for this: Risk Habitation. Basically you do something often enough that your brain just accepts that it is a safe activity and you don't need to follow the normal precautions you normally do. Obviously a much higher risk for people who do dangerous tasks for their job, but I think it can apply to this kind of situation too.

It looks like the back trails will be closed all summer, or until the end of October. I am seriously regretting purchasing a year pass for the forest service considering there are 2 trails I enjoy here that I planned on doing again this year, thus guiding me to purchase the pass. Grumble grumble grumble.

We took a moment to debate about returning the way we came and finding something different to do, or just finishing the loop around Silver Lake… and then finding something different to add on. We ultimately decided to complete the Silver Lake Loop and ponder about what else to do along the way.

Continuing around Silver Lake.

Another dock.

Clear water.

Silver Lake.

Panoramic.

The forest service just recently completed these rock walls on either side of the trail here.

I don’t normally see fireweed in bunches like this. Neat!

We spotted a bald eagle! But, even with the telephoto lens it is too far away.

While I have the long lens on, here is a good shot of the lakeside beaver lodge.

Little better shot of the bald eagle.

Even better.

The lake.

Panoramic.

More boardwalk.

Another panoramic of the lake.

The beaver lodge again.

Back to dirt.

I swear there is some kind of material they have covered the dirt sections with.. like a clay like substance of some sort that keeps it packed down? But I don’t know for sure. Just what it looks like.

The eagle again… and what does he appear to be looking at?

Another bald eagle flying overhead. Possibly a juvenile one. Well that is fun!

So neat!

Just soaring.

Back to our friend in the tree. This is fun. It’s pretty rare for us to see one, let alone two on the same hike!

Just look at that monster of a beak!

Looking right at us. I know we are definitely not too close to it though.

See? Right back to doing eagly things.

Back to the trail.

The lake.

Panoramic.

Beaver lodge again.

Random berries.

The lake.

Into the woods again.

Spotted the eagle through the tree branches.

Digital crop. Wow!

I think this might be the shot of the day.

So majestic.

That gnarly beak again.

Looking towards us a bit.

I just like this one too.

Brooding.

Not sure what he is doing here.

It kind of blows me away how far around they can turn their heads.

The lake again.

Different angle a little further along the trail.

Such a fun sighting.

Preening.

I wonder what kind of bird that feather is from, or maybe it is one of his.

So neat.

That beak!

More preening.

One last image before I peeled myself away haha. I do love me a good eagle sighting.

Forest.

Again.

I am glad they kept some of the trees that are in the trail.

Monkshood.

Lots of it.

With a bumblebee.

It is kind of fun to watch bumblebees with monkshood. They really get in there!

Lots of monkshood.

The lake again as we leave the forest and enter the wetlands.

Beavers: Wetland Architects. I would love to have a good beaver sighting up here sometime.

Big Cottonwood Creek entering the lake.

Looking back at our eagle friend.

Scott Hill.

The big fishing dock.

The lake again.

This little dock over one of the inlets is new with the rebuilt boardwalk.

One of the inlets.

Another beaver dam.

The lake.

Panoramic.

Little baby fish.

One of a few resting areas.

The wetlands and Scott Hill.

Continuing along.

Back to the trailhead.

See? If we had bothered to pay attention to the signs we would have seen our intended destination was closed. Doh! However, at the end of the day we did have two amazing eagle sightings! So, eh I guess it worked out.

Well, not at all what I had planned on doing, but Silver Lake is really pretty, and well, two bald eagles in one day is nothing to sniff at either! It was a little busy, but not as crazy busy as we have seen before. 9 out of 10 squirrels today.